Brian K. Vaughan / Y #18 / Twenty-seven Pages Total
The Full Script for
Page One
Page One, Panel One
We open with this close-up of YORICK BROWN, age eight (or so). It’s 1989. He has braces and a stupid haircut, but he’s still our Yorick.
1) Someone’s Voice (from off): Yorick always gets to be last!
Page One, Panel Two
White text, black background, etc.
2) White text on black background:
Cleveland, Ohio
Fifteen Years Ago
Page One, Panel Three
Pull out for this largest panel of the page, at least a half-SPLASH. We can now see that we’re inside of a “retirement home”. ELDERLY WOMEN are shuffling along, playing bridge in the background, etc., but there should be no elderly males in this shot. Standing outside of a doorway to one of the nursing facility rooms are Yorick, HERO, and their father, PROFESSOR BROWN (the bearded guy we saw in a photo back in Issue #11, I think). Hero is twelve or eleven here, and she’s throwing a little fit. Prof. Brown is trying to calm her down. Watching this confrontation with interest is Yorick, whom we can now see is wearing an oversized purple T-shirt with a picture of Jack Nicholson as the Joker on the front of it. [Will, please give us a heads-up now if that will be a problem with legal or anything. This is actually an important bit of costuming, since this story is about “Yorick the Jester” in a lot of ways.]
3) Hero: How come he can’t go in first?
4) Prof. Brown: Hero, I’m not asking you to charge into battle against King Charles’ cavalry.
5) Prof. Brown: I just want you to say hello to your grandfather.
Page Two
Page Two, Panel One
Push in closer on the Professor and his daughter, who almost looks frightened here.
1) Prof. Brown: You know he gets confused if we all try to talk with him at the same--
2) Hero: I don’t care!
3) Hero: I… I don’t even like him! He always tries to touch my--
Page Two, Panel Two
Cut over to Yorick, nobly volunteering.
4) Yorick: It’s okay, Dad.
5) Yorick: I can go in first.
Page Two, Panel Three
This largest panel of the page can be from Hero’s point-of-view. The Professor affectionately musses Yorick’s hair as he addresses his off-panel daughter. Now that his father isn’t looking, Yorick crosses his eyes and sticks out his tongue at the off-panel Hero.
6) Prof. Brown: There’s a brave soldier.
7) Prof. Brown: He didn’t even need a St. Crispin’s Day speech to get him onto the front line.
Page Two, Panel Four
This is just a shot of the pissed-off young Hero, crossing her arms and muttering under her breath.
8) Hero (small, under her breath): I hope you both get AIDS.
Page Two, Panel Five
We’re behind Yorick here, cheated so we can see some of his expression, as he knocks on the frame of the open door. Inside this room, we can see an elderly man in the background. He’s seated with his back to us, and we can’t see his face. He’s apparently staring out the window. This shot should be creepy and ominous, Pia.
9) Yorick: Hello?
10) Yorick: Grampy…?
Page Three
Page Three, Panel One
Change angles for this largest panel of the page. We’re now in the foreground with Yorick’s gruff, eighty-year-old GRANDFATHER. In the background, Yorick cautiously steps into the dimly lit room.
1) Yorick: It’s me.
2) Yorick: Yorick.
3) Grandpa: Yorick who?
Page Three, Panel Two
Push in closer on the two, as “Grampy” smiles and turns to greet his smirking grandchild.
4) Yorick: Ha ha, hilarious.
5) Grandpa: Come here, ya little bastard. What brings you to this dump?
6) Yorick: Mom’s in town for campaign stuff, remember?
Page Three, Panel Three
Change angles, as a curious Yorick interrogates his surly elder. Please leave some room between them for this exchange:
7) Yorick: Hey, how come there are so many women in here?
8) Grandpa: ‘Cause women live longer than men.
9) Yorick: Why?
10) Grandpa: ‘Cause they suck all the goddamn life out of us.
Page Three, Panel Four
Similar framing, but now Yorick’s frail grandfather becomes fairly irate.
11) Yorick: Oh.
12) Yorick: Well, it must be cool to be, like, the only guy with so many girls all over the place.
13) Grandpa: You crazy? It’s hell on earth! Ain’t nothing worse than ladies in numbers.
(one more…)
Page Three, Panel Five
And we end with this portentous close-up of Yorick’s grandfather, as he warns:
14) Grandpa: Someday, you’ll understand…
Page Four
Page Four, Panel One
Cut to the present day for this close-up of a clean-shaven ADULT YORICK. He has the hood of his dark blue poncho up, but no gas mask on. He’s screaming at the top of his lungs.
1) Yorick: AHHHHH!
Page Four, Panel Two
What’s black and white and a recurring panel gimmick that this writer seemingly never tires of?
Allenspark, Colorado
Now
Page Four, Panel Three
Pull out to the largest panel of the page, at least a half-SPLASH. We’re in the foreground with the still-screaming Yorick, who we can now see is sitting behind AGENT 355 on a large two-passenger ATV (something like: http://www.cubsdenresort.com/images/atv.jpg). Tied to the front of this speeding all-terrain vehicle is a pet carrier, which we will eventually learn houses a sickly Ampersand.
More importantly, we can see that 355 and Yorick are currently being pursued by THREE COWGIRLS ON HORSEBACK, all carrying rifles and wearing sheriff stars. The lead cowgirl is a Native American woman named TAD. Next to her is an angry white girl named JANE. And riding a beautiful black stallion is an African-American cowgirl named SONNY.
It’s early afternoon now, and we’re in the middle of a gorgeous open field. There are woods to either side of our riders, and we can see the Rocky Mountains in the background (great reference at: http://www.sombrero.com/allen.html). Oh, and we should now be able to tell that Yorick is screaming with excitement, not fear.
Have fun with this, pardner!
3) Yorick: This is fucking sweet!
Page Five
Page Five, Panel One
Change angles for this profile shot of 355 and the hooded Yorick, on top of their speeding ATV.
1) Yorick: We’re being chased by a posse!
2) Yorick: Of cowgirls!
3) Agent 355: Shut up, Yorick!
Page Five, Panel Two
Pull out to the largest panel of the page as we reveal that 355 is riding next to DR. MANN, who is awkwardly driving her own (smaller) ATV. She’s wearing a helmet that covers much of her face.
4) Agent 355: Dr. Mann, keep up!
5) Dr. Mann: I’m trying, goddammit!
6) Dr. Mann: I learned how to drive this goddamn thing yesterday!
Page Five, Panel Three
Cut back to the pursuing cowgirls, as Tad orders the African-American Sonny to raise her rifle (http://images.send.com/Western_Blank_Pistols_Rifles.jpg).
7) Tad: Sonny, take ‘em!
Page Five, Panel Four
This is just a shot of Sonny, as she FIRES at the off-panel women she’s pursuing.
8) SFX: BLAM
Page Six
Page Six, Panel One
Cut to the helmeted Dr. Mann, as one of the front tires of her ATV suddenly EXPLODES.
1) SFX: SPAK
Page Six, Panel Two
Change angles, as the ATV pitches forward and LAUNCHES Dr. Mann over its handlebars.
No Copy
Page Six, Panel Three
Change angles for this largest panel of the page. We’re with the fallen and seemingly lifeless Dr. Mann in the extreme foreground of this shot. In the background, 355 breaks hard and brings the ATV screeching to a sideways halt. Yorick screams in horror.
2) ...
Carnarium